Dock the Halls with… a 108% Increase in Gift Card Sales!

ISSUE:

For the third year, The Dock at Crayton Cove implemented a popular holiday gift card promotion. Drawing from its past success, The Dock reintroduced the promotion to boost end-of-year sales during the shoulder season in Naples, Florida.

OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES:

PTE developed the following objectives based on industry research, previous campaign performance, and expected outcomes: 

1. Increase end-of-year sales by boosting gift card sales by approximately 40% within an 8-week campaign period.

2. Increase online exposure to the gift card promotion by leveraging paid/organic social media and newsletter inclusions, as evidenced by increased reach on social media and newsletter opens.

3. Guide purchasing behavior and overall awareness of the promotion, as evidenced by directing approximately 1,000 viewers to the gift card special landing page.

PTE employed the following marketing strategies from November 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023, to meet the campaign objectives:

1. Utilized organic social media messaging to encourage customers to purchase gift cards to The Dock during the holiday season and reinforced top-of-mind awareness with cross-channel messaging.

2. Employed paid social media efforts to boost the promotion to a new audience and extend the reach of visibility for the offer.

3. Delivered multiple newsletters with inclusions featuring the promotion to encourage purchasing behavior and awareness.

4. Leveraged key messaging, such as the savings bonus and holiday drinks offered by The Dock, to enhance the overall appeal and timeliness of the offer. 

RESULTS:

1. The Dock experienced a 108% increase in gift card sales in 2023 compared to the same timeframe in 2022 and a 73.6% increase as compared to 2021. 

2. A combined total of 29,998 online exposures of the promotion were generated through paid and organic social media efforts. Two newsletter inclusions generated 6,134 opens. 

3. There were 1,268 unique sessions directly to the specials landing page within the 8-week promotion.

CONCLUSION:

The results indicate that the marketing efforts that PTE employed were effective in reaching both new and existing audience members and increasing end-of-year sales by influencing holiday purchase behavior. Overall, a stellar success for The Dock!